1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for communicating with an RFID tag configured to read information with respect to an RFID tag capable of radio communication of information with outside, and an article management system using the apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system configured to read/write information contactlessly between an RFID tag and a reader/writer is known. Even if the RFID tag is stained or arranged in a hidden place, Even if the RFID tag is stained or arranged in a hidden place, the RFID tag information of the IC circuit part can be accessed (for information reading/writing) from a reader/writer. Thus, the system has been put into practical use in various fields.
On the other hand, in industries such sales/distribution, an inventory to examine a stock of articles and raw material and to check a quantity is taken periodically. To provide the RFID tag on an article as an inventory target and to take an inventory by reading information from the RFID tag have been already proposed. For example, a prior art reference applied to an inventory system for book is described in JP, B, 4035972. In this prior art reference, information read from the RFID tag provided on each of a plurality of books via radio communication is compared with an actual quantity of books and by determining if there is a discrepancy between them or not, whether or not the RFID tags are affixed to all the books or not can be efficiently checked. In other words, if there are any books without the RFID tag affixed or not can be checked.
On the other hand, as a prior art reference relating to display of a memory capacity in a recording medium, JP, A, 2007-140677 is known, for example. This memory card according to the prior art reference is provided with a main body, electronic paper and a jog dial. The electronic paper displays index information of a file stored in a memory, and an available memory capacity is displayed by operating the jog dial.
Here, in the inventory work, a large number of articles are to be checked in general. In order to read tag identification information from each of RFID tag circuit elements provided at each article so as to check presence of the article, a memory capacity in which a large data amount in proportion to a number of articles can be stored is needed in a storage device such as a memory provided in an apparatus for communicating with an RFID tag.
If the memory capacity of the memory is not sufficient to store tag identification information according to the number of articles in an article storage location for inventory, storing in the memory becomes impossible in the middle of the inventory work, and the inventory work might be interrupted. In order to avoid such interruption of the inventory work, it is necessary to determine if a memory capacity of a memory usable in the apparatus for communicating with an RFID tag is sufficient for, that is, larger than, the memory capacity to be consumed in the inventory work to be started so as to see if the inventory can be taken without interruption. If the usable memory capacity is not sufficient for the number of articles in the article storage location, such a measure should be taken that the inventory work is not to be taken in the article storage location (will be taken later).
The prior art reference JP, B, 4035972 relating to the inventory work merely compares the read information with the actual quantity of the articles and does not make comparison on the memory capacity of the memory as above. The prior art reference JP, A, 2007-140677 merely displays a size of the available memory capacity, and no consideration is given to comparison between the usable memory capacity and the memory capacity to be consumed by the inventory work.
As described above, in the prior art references, no particular consideration is given to a point that interruption of the inventory work is avoided and smooth inventory work by an operator is ensured.